Drift boats... Clacka, Willie...others??

[Cool Texan]

What are the key differences between drift boats? What are the pros and cons of each brand, style, etc??

[FM2]

I, FM2 promise to tell the whole truth FISHRITE and nothing but the truth FISHRITE so help me FISHRITE

Hope that helps! :grin:

[Otolith]

I found this link to be some good information on pros and cons of aluminum and fiberglass construction (take note that it is Clackacraft's website):

Fiberglass VS Aluminum

I also went to an aluminum boat dealer and asked why I should buy his instead of glass. The only good reason he gave me was that fiberglass has the potential for dry rot.

I'm personally leaning towards getting a clackacraft, with my only concern being that the aluminums have a couple inches higher sides (25in.) than the clackacrafts (23in.) - and freeboard is always comforting when you are watching a big wake roll towards you in the big river or bay. Of course, the clacks make up for it by having a few more inches across the bottom so you would theoretically ride higher.

If you are considering Neutron's boat, however, it is a bit older clackacraft so it has higher sides like the aluminum boats.

[Flatfish]

16 footers allow 2 up front and an oarsman in comfort.3 up front is an option but you wont be pulling plugs/divers with that much up there.If you are say..winter steelheading,then 3 is possible,drift from 1 run to the next,get out fish the run,pile back into the boat and do it again.But thats about it.
Don't discount fiberglass just because you are learning.It will do fine.Just set a budget and buy the first one that meets your parameters.It sounds like you want a sled or motorboat later.So get what you can and fish your guts out.
For what it's worth,we anchor fish the Will and Columbia in out drifter.Just gotta do your homework on where.Can't say it's comfortable like a sled is,or even reccomend the practice.But hey it's better to fish out of a rat boat then it is to stay at home saving for a nice one.
PS OTTO,I have been in 6' hi wavetrains and side height in not relevant there.Spent this spring,summer,and now the URBs on the big river,and 2 inches of freeboard means I am on the big river with 2" higher sides.In other words nothing.If you like the Clackacrafts then go for it.Real nice boats.I rowed one in June and it's the nicest glass boat I have ever fished from.Bar bone.Lowsided driftboats are not a liability that salesman(who usually work on comission)want you to beleive.
See you on the water.
Mark and the still sleeping dog.

[ 09-11-2002, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: Flatfish ]

[blackdog]

Cool Texan - you may want to look at the classified ads here on ifish. Fishen Fool has a 16' Willie for sale, that on face value, is a pretty darn good deal. With everything included in the package, as long as the boat is in good shape, it would be a great first boat - shoot it's probably better than the one I own now! Drift boats are all about how easily you can fish out of them and how they row, and the Willie's I have had the pleasure to be in have been the best. Good luck.

[FM2]

CT, when you get that kitchn-pass this winter let me know and we'll hook up :smile:

[Cool Texan]

FM2...I will keep you posted on the KP. I am hosed through September I think.

Blackdog...I have seen the listing for the Willie. Sounds like a nice set up with the heaters and all. Just dont have the green light from the better half....but am working on it. :grin:

[Drachir]

One word----CLACKACRAFT!!!! :grin:

[Dan Christopher]

flatfish has said it all exept."willie"
great resale value

hey Flatfish ..your last post didn't mention the hairy flatfish dog.....whats up with that???dog not good enough for you any more?? :grin:

[Flatfish]

Well wiz,
I didn't want to name names so I told the truth.As far as the dog goes,I uaually try to mention him but sometimes I plain ol forget.
By the way wiz,do you drive a Dodge PU? The reason I ask is the other day I say a yellow NR going thru the drive thru at Skippers resturant the other day.Figured it was you! :tongue:
See you on the water.
Mark and THE HAIRY FLATFISH DOG.

[Lund]

My Dad has had a Lavro for 24 years & its come off the trailer@60mph, been sunk once,filled to the top with water & froze solid for two weeks, & it sits in the sun all the time & still fishes as good today as 24yrs ago. It is one of the best. But all fiberglass makers build a good boat!

[Dan Christopher]

no mark. i have a white ford but you cant miss my boat



but its more than just yellow. :grin: so much more.

you need to fish with me some day and i will show you why we call her the fish taxi

[ 09-12-2002, 02:41 AM: Message edited by: MADWIZERD ]

[Flatfish]

Well Wiz,
I agree with you we need to fish together.But then you would be seen in public with a chevy guy.Don't want to hurt your reputation too much. :tongue:
Been skunking the Columbia recently(stupid woblers don't catch fish anyway) :whazzup: .Maybe the Nehalem this weekend.Or a favorite zipper of mine if it rains...
See you on the water.
Mark only now, cause the dog is in bed.

[Flatfish]

There are personality differences between the 2 materials.I have rowed more boats than I care to think about.Some did certian things better than others.Like the Jetsled threads you read about here,honestly it does not matter what you buy.You will have fun in all of them.Most important is the dude on the oars.
That said here is the bottom line.fiberglass boats are ,in my opinion,better Will. Valley/coast summer steelhead boats than the metal ones.Cooler in the summer,warmer in the winter.(WITHOUT A HEATER).They do not track as well as aluminum.No matter what anyone says.They do track well enough though.I pull plugs a bit and it drives me crazy.They are quiet.Which is overplayed because if you are clanging rocks the fish will get spooky no matter what boat you are in.Fiberglass is much slicker when going over rocks.Fiberglass needs to be stored out of the sun.UV rays will break it down over time.Since a lot of driftboats are lifetime investments this should be an issue.
Aluminum has a(traditionally)higher resale value.If it is not a lifetime boat this is nice.It is easier for the front seaters to keep warm in in real cold weather.Just put a heater under the front deck and light it.In a few minutes it will blow HOT air from below the deck and the deck itself is toasty warm.If you do this in a glass boat it will melt.Some folks will argue that point,but I stand steady here.Fished in zero degrees weather too many times to be swayed from that statement.Glass requires heaters be placed in the floorspace,which is where your other stuff goes.Not too much space in a drifter to start so I think it is a point of concern.Aluminum does not require indoor storage.It is almost indestructable.It requires either "Gluvit" or some other coating on the bottom of the boat to keep it from sticking to the rocks.It is easier to add on options later to aluminum.They also track well,yes better than a glass boat(this includes the new tunnel hull Clackcraft.Super nice boat,wish I had one.But it stil wanders more than mine).
Unless you are running multi day trips on class4 water with multiple front seaters,a 16'er is plenty.If you find a good deal on a 17 then swell.But too many folks spend too much time looking for something that will never really matter.It is hard to watch someone shop when they could be fishing.Low sides are nice.Each maker of drifters offers a "Guide Model"or something along those lines which has high sides and lots of rocker.Unless you are a real hotshot at rowing a drifter,this is wasted money.Harder to row while pulling plugs,or just slowing the boat to see a line thru water.High sides add weight and make it harder to get into and out of the boat.Makes it harder to row too cause the oars get off the water.Parallel oars make happy oarsman.Ever notice the "crew"boats.Think they sit low for a reason.Yep...extra horsepower.Sounds good on paper,but high sides don't work out there.
Whatever you buy,good luck with it.Either has it's virtues.And flaws.But both will allow you to access more water than on foot.Lotsa fun to run too.
See you on the water.
Mark.

[Cool Texan]

Duly noted....FISHRITE too. I am trying to figure out what makes one better than the other. What difference does aluminum versus other materials make? Performance of all brands??

FM2...arent I supposed to see the inside of your DB some day, or am I thinking of someone else?

[Cool Texan]

Flatfish...thanks for that summary. Sounds like aluminum might be the ticket for me for the first boat....which I am likely to bang up and sink while learning how to use it anyway!! :grin: :shocked: [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

Gotta keep working on my wife on this one. I'd like to have some kind of boat to fish rivers and possibly something like around Clackamette park for salmon...though a DB is probably not the answer there...I just cant see dropping $20k on a real boat right now.

Would probably have just one other person with me most of the time...but would like to have room to fit a 3rd in the boat too. Would a 16' boat allow for 3 people?

[Dan Christopher]

mark
i dont have a problem with chevys..everyone should tow one once in a while.it makes you love your ford even more. even though mine will be giting a new tranny next week.

did someone say zzzzzzzipperlip
same zipper as last time???

if you ever want to play in a big boat on the big river let me know.tell then keep washing your woblers :tongue: :tongue:

[ 09-12-2002, 02:52 AM: Message edited by: MADWIZERD ]

[Cool Texan]

That sho is a purty yeller boat!! :shocked: :grin: Makes me jealous...I want a real boat, but figure I have better odds at starting small with a drifter, then working my way up.

WHo knows though...the wife wants something we can ski with, camp on the river with, as well as fish with. I tried telling her that a NR style boat could pull skiers (can it???) easily....but she insists we'd look stupid on the river skiing behind an "ugly fishing boat" instead of a sleek ski boat. I remind her its not a fashion show... We'll see. Even if I got her to say yes, there is still the issue of whether or not I want to spend $20k on a boat!! :grin: :shocked:

[Flatfish]

Cool tex,
I have waterskied behind a 21 Alumaweld with a 200/140 Merc jet.So yeah you can ski behind a NR with a big enough motor.If it has an outboard,put a prop on it and it will make skiing,and a whole lotta other stuff safer,easier,cheaper,and faster.Anyone that tells ya that a 200 is too small for a bigger(20-23')boat never rode in one that was propped :shocked: :shocked: .Easy 50mph.If it matters I think you could get a real nice used boat(in the present economy..I KNOW you can)for a lot less than 20k.Maybe 12-14 for a boat and a couple grand more(max) for the extras(like a jack plate if you were to do the pump/prop thing.But even then I would still reccomend a drifter.They provide too much opportunity to ignore.
Another thing to ponder,
if your wife thinks a Bayliner is sexy and a NR aint(or in my case a Predator :grin: )you got some work to do.Had the same problem with mine.Several years of brainwashing er uhhh suggestion has helped her see the light .
Wiz,
if you quit towing Chevys,your tranny would last longer.Maybe on the big river trip.Got family in from out of town,so we will have to see(remember when you were little and your mom or dad said "We will see about that"after you asked for something,that means I probably will win the lottery and be struck by lightening twice before that happens...Well at least not this weekend :whazzup: ).Yeah the Zip should be fishin now.If it rains Sunday very much,it WILL be in fire.Just want to lower the river temp maybe 2 degrees.Not looking to bring the nooks in from the salt here.Lotsa fish no folks.One other thing,if you would please not post pics of the boat that would be great.Right after looking into the light(saw the pic [img]graemlins/program.gif[/img] )I ran into a door trying to answer the phone.Ya know,the whole camera flash/fish taxi thing .Oh yeah,good shot of the dog in front of the taxi.Is that the hairy Madwiz dog?
Lund, Lavro makes one tough boat.It also sounds like your dad is as hard on boats as me :tongue: .Nothing against glass boats here,but like most long time owners,I like what I have.Coulda been something totally different and it would have worked out the same.Guess that was my point.
Have fun everyone.Sorry this got sooooo Lonnnng.
See you on the water.
Mark and the still sleeping dog.

[Dan Christopher]

tex
we ski/tube behind this all the time. it has plenty of power to rip you out of your skies and i am 230lbs.a bayliner would just drown me trying to get me out of the water.once you get up you just ski on the sides of the jet wash and cut back and forth or get a longer rope to keep the ski out of the jet wash.

just start putting pictures of pretty fishing boats around the house tell it starts to grow on her.
on the other point a drifter is pretty hard to beat.if i had to chose just one boat what would i pick????tuff one ..maybe a 17 foot willie drifter with a 200 hp jet outboard. :shocked: {good thing i dont have to chose} no i would take the drifter.that way during the divorce because your always on the water she wont get much boat when she leaves.

mark
no the tranny is from pulling a 27foot filth wheel for 4 years and now a 11 1/2 foot camper + this boat without putting on a bigger better tranny cooler. told myself for years i needed to do that..oh well ..what 2 grand for being stupid.

black dogs dont come out good in pictures they tend to play in the shadows.but ya what's the wizzer dog :shocked:

[ 09-12-2002, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: MADWIZERD ]

[John]

Buy a Willie Simply The Best, but if you must a alumuweld well do the job. The Unirail on the Willies are awesome. Compared to the FishWrong and Willies have a lower profile. If you drift the lower Deschutes,Sandy, or John Day this will make a HUGE Difference. Wind can blow you back up stream in a riffle. I have owned two Willies and another drift boat. A friend of mine has a fish rite and it sat much higher then the Willie. The sides are taller I believe. I have noticed the same thing with Koffler Drift Boats.

[SandySteel]

I love the way my Koffler rows. Who cares how much the next monkey who rows it is going to pay for the boat you discovered that you didn't like. Buy it because you like how it rows, or how it handles shallow spots, or how it handles wind, or how it holds a line. Why buy a boat for someone else. Buy the boat for you.

[jr]

hey mad i do like the options on those fords i just can't firgure out how they wired in those coool hand warmers on the tail gate :shocked: i had to help some poor guy push his, last winter. keep my hands warm the whole time in 15 degree wheather .now thats something else! [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

[M W Sheller]

CT, whatdayamean, a drift boat ain't a real boat/ [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] My 12 year young Slide-Rite is as real a boat as there is. I don't need to be a cabinet maker, or have a two thousand dollar welder to do repairs on my boat. I just dump it off the trailer in the front yard, roll it over, and comence to fix. It's not that I do it all that often, twice in twelve years, but when it needs TLC, I can give it that, with minimal equipment, and expense